ith the guitar clutched in his hand,
when suddenly it struck him that his room must have been invaded by
jumping devils--for the cats had knocked the candles down on the
floor, extinguishing them as they did so, and the room was now in
pitch darkness. He suddenly flung his guitar away and drew his sword,
charging the enchanters with all the fervor and energy that he
possessed.

All the cats flew toward the balcony, from where they escaped into the
garden--all except one, which Don Quixote had cornered, and was making
violent stabs at, without hitting anything but the air, the wall and
the floor. This little beast, fighting for its life, like one beset,
jumped at the knight, put its teeth and claws into his nose, and
remained there, holding on infuriated, while Don Quixote gave out the
most terrible screams and howls.

When the Duke and the Duchess heard what was going on, they became
afraid that some harm might be done the knight errant; so they ran to
his chamber with all haste. The Duke rushed to the rescue of Don
Quixote's nose; but in spite of the horrible pain he must have been
in, the knight was brave enough to decline all aid, shouting aloud
that he wished to fight the malignant enchanter alone. At last,
however, the Duke could see the poor fellow suffer no longer, and he
managed to separate the cat from Don Quixote's nose.

The fair Altisidora was given the task to cover the damaged parts of
the knight's face with ointment, and she did this with a loving and
caressing hand, although she could not resist telling him that he
would not have been in this predicament if he had listened to her the
night before. She jealously hoped, too, that his squire Sancho would
forget all about the whippings so that Dulcinea would remain enchanted
forever. But Don Quixote was insensible to anything she said; he only
sighed and sighed. And then he thanked the Duke and the Duchess for
all their kindness; and they really felt sorry in their hearts for the
end the joke had taken. They bade him good-night; he stretched himself
on his bed; and there he remained for five days.

CHAPTER XLVII

WHEREIN IS CONTINUED THE ACCOUNT OF HOW SANCHO PANZA
CONDUCTED HIMSELF IN HIS GOVERNMENT

Having held court, Sancho was escorted to a magnificent palace, where
dinner had been laid in a large and gorgeous chamber. There were
numerous ceremonies that he had to pass through as he entered; but he
went through them all undisturbed and wi